Alive: Remake
by HannahGraceRusher
Summary: My old story Alive, rewritten and edited slightly. Minor changes in the story.
1. Bitten

**Hey guys! Oh, weird putting the AN up here! Anyways...**

**Yeah, this is an old story and you are probably wondering what I'm up to. Here's the answer. I'm remaking it. No I'm not gonna change _much_ in the story, I think. I just read it through and I wanted to give the story more soul. It's rather bad... I think. So here you go. Same story, rewritten. Still not the best but better than before.**

**I hope you like it because I kind of rediscovered this story and kinda liked it :)**

**Thank you for reading and I really hope you like this story (again!).**

**oxox Hannah**

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><p>"Quick! This way, come on!" Carlos yelled and waved with his hand, as if it would make his friends go faster. Grace – a young girl with long dark hair and brown doe eyes – supported Logan on one of her shoulders. The raven haired boy groaned and tripped on almost every single step he took. He was badly wounded on his left side and they had only been given a very short amount of time to wrap him up and add some pressure on his wounds before they had to get up and get going.<p>

Logan groaned and cried out, "No... I can't do it. You have to leave me." Grace yanked him up from his half knees and dragged him along.

"We're _not_ leaving you! Logan, don't give up now!" She yelled. Carlos quickly unlocked the door to the gates of the safe house and closes it again once they all are safe within the yard. Then he raced up to the front door of the house and get the door open.

"Come on!" He yelled. "Hurry!" Grace quickened her pace while the two taller members of their group stayed behind, firing shots at the walkers trying to get through the gate – which was a hopeless thing since they couldn't even rustle the strong metal bars of the gates. "Grace, come on!" Carlos urged.

"I'M GETTING THERE, OKAY?!" She roared at Carlos. Kendall gave her a light pat on the shoulder before wrapping one of Logan's arms around his neck and helping out. James was right behind then and finished off one of the final walkers lingering by the gate – a tall one, with an ugly yellow t-shirt – with a fire ax he's been holding onto since the day everything started.

"James get over here now!" Kendall demanded and handed Logan over to Grace and pulled out a knife and stabbed the last walked in the right eye. "Hurry up, James! Before you attract any more of those things." He hissed and the tall brunet huffed out a breath and hurried to obey – for once.

They all got into the safe house and Carlos locked the door and sealed it from the inside. Kendall and James both managed to get Logan into the kitchen and pinned his wriggling body down on the kitchen table. Grace – already sure of what to do – ran out of the kitchen into the storage room and grabbed a handful of everything they'd need. Usually it was Logan who handled sick and wounded but Grace hadn't just been sitting around. She'd been rather attentive. So she knew she'd need to clean the wound before patching it up.

"Grace!" Kendall called from the kitchen and she looked over her shoulder.

"I'm coming!" She whispered even thought she knew that nobody would hear it. She grabbed a bottle of antibiotics and some alcohol and then ran back to the kitchen and dumped what she brought on the counter. "What do I do now?" She asked, still a bit insecure of herself and her medical skills.

She glanced around at the other and then back down at Logan who gritted his teeth in pain and clenched his hands into fists. "Clean the wound." He instructed stiffly and slammed one of his fists into the table underneath himself. "Hurry!" He cried and Grace scrambled to get a clean rag and drench it in alcohol. She grabbed another one and leaned over Logan and caught his eyes.

"Bite this." She demanded and Logan bit down on the white fabric, breathing heavily through his nose. The young girl then proceeded to grab a small knife and cut open Logan's shirt. The wound was worse than any of them had originally thought.

James sucked in a breath and stared at the bloody and infected mess. "Holy fuck!" He exclaimed. "What the fuck got you? _Godzilla?!_"

Logan muttered something but no one paid it much attention. "Logan, I'm so sorry..." Grace mumbled before dabbing the wound with the alcohol drenched rag. The raven haired boy hissed and shied away from the touch and Grace gave a sigh when she realized that it wasn't quite enough and gently poured some of the liquid straight into the wound – finding it much more effective. Logan squirmed around on the table, knocking the girl back. "Hold him!" She cried and the two taller males both helped to hold him still. "I'm sorry, Logan." Grace chanted as she cleaned the wound the best she could, washing out the pus and blood and removing infected and dead tissue.

Logan screamed and cried out every time she touched him and the others were struggling to keep him still. "Aawwhh... fhhhmuuk!" He shrieked when the young girl poured another dose of alcohol into the wound before rinsing it out with clean water. He tried his best to calm down and leaned his head back to rest against the table. His chest was heaving and he ripped the rag out of his mouth and threw it on the floor.

"I'm sorry, Logan. I-I think that the worst pain is over..." Grace stuttered, looking rather pale and a little overwhelmed. She was fairly quick and efficient to wrap the wound up with gauze and bandages.

Again with the help of James and Kendall they carried him up one floor to the large bedroom and put him on the big king-sized bed. Grace sat down by his side and stroked some of his sweaty hair out of his eyes. "Are you alright?" She asked softly. Logan opened his brown eyes and looked up at her.

"I-I think so... Thank you." He said and gave a weak smile. Grace smiled back before turning to the others.

"Could you guys prepare something to eat?" She asked. Carlos immediately volunteered and disappeared back down into the kitchen to clean up and start cooking. James gave Logan a careful pat on the shoulder before joining the latino down in the kitchen but Kendall lingered in the doorway, looking troubled.

He waited until James was on the lower floor before he spoke up. "Is he... gonna turn?" He asked and eyed the wounded boy in the bed. Grace gulped and again stroked her hand over Logan's damp forehead. He was warm – feverish – and a layer of cold sweat covered his pale face.

She shook her head slowly without taking her eyes off of Logan. "I don't know..." She mumbled. Kendall nodded his head and hesitated before slowly walking over to the bed and dropping something on the end of it. He turned to leave but once again stopped in the doorway.

"Just in case." He mumbled and then left the room and went back downstairs. Grace glared at the gun he left her and then glanced at Logan, who was already asleep. She was not going to have to use it. She didn't even want to see it and tucked it into the hem of her worn jeans under her shirt.

_Never_, she thought.


	2. He's not dead

When the food was finally ready Grace left Kendall, James and Carlos downstairs and brought a plate of the warm stew up to Logan but he still hadn't woken up and laid limp in the bed, cold sweating and trembling.

Grace ate her own meal in the bedroom while watching over Logan and the others took turns with watching the front – and only – entrance to the house. From time to time one of them would peek their head into the bedroom to see if everything was still alright with Logan.

After a few hours the wounded seem to startle awake and his eyes shot open. He looked horrified as well as lost and confused at the same time. His chest heaved and breaths wheezed agonizingly loud. Grace was by his side in an instant. Gently, she hushed at him and caressed his cheek. "Shh... take it easy. I'm right here." She cooed and Logan turned to look at her.

"G-Grace." He whispered in relief. His voice was weak and squeaky. "H-How long has it been?" He hurried to ask and then started to couch violently. Grace glanced at her watch but it didn't really matter since it hasn't been working for weeks, she wasn't entirely sure why she still had it.

"About four hours, I think." She said and shrugged her thin shoulders. Logan coughed once more and nodded his head.

"I-If I last like this for more than eight hours... the chances of survival is almost fifty percent bigger." He said. "It takes about ten hours to fully turn but if I can... resist..." He mumbled. "Right now I'm only in the twenty percent zone. I need to get over eight hours to be counted as fine." Grace rolled her eyes and wondered if the smart boy would ever not confuse her with his math talk.

"Really?" She asked, trying her best to sound interested and in a way she was. Logan nodded. He suddenly looked paler, like he'd seen a ghost or as if he was turning into one himself. He started to tremble. "Oh, Logan, hold on." Grace said and before she had time to do anything else Logan burst out in tears, and crying was something Grace had never seen him do before.

"Grace..." He sobbed and brought his hand to wipe at his eyes that were overflowing with tears but he barely had the strength to lift his arm. "Grace, I don't wanna die..."

The young girl was quick to shake her head and take his in her hands and cradle his dizzy head carefully. Soothingly she ran her fingers through his hair. "No. Hush... You won't die... hush." She cooed and the wounded started coughing again. His whole body trembled and Grace was worried that he'd wither away in her arms.

"I don't wanna die yet. I-I wanna live." Logan sobbed and desperately tried to force back the tears that were already rolling down his cheeks. "I wanna live. I want to live with you." He whined and Grace stopped for just a moment. "I don't want to leave you."

Grace frowned and shook her head again. "Logan, don't..." She sighed. "You won't die. You're gonna live, okay? Don't give up." She pleaded and wrapped her arms around him, letting him cry into her shoulder and muffle his whines and cries in the crook of her neck. Kendall peeked his head in through the door and a frown immediately fell over his face when he saw the scene. It didn't take long before the other two also showed up with similar expressions on their faces.

"I don't want to die..." Logan repeated over and over and Grace didn't know what to answer because she didn't know if he would be alright or not. She could only hope. By then Logan was as white as snow and his lips were starting to shift into a purplish color. Grace was crying but she did it silently so that Logan wouldn't hear her.

Several minutes passed by, close to half an hour and Logan cried loudly until he finally seemed to calm down and his sobs and whimpers faded into sniffles and shallow breaths. Eventually he didn't make a sound and no one dared to break the silence for several minutes.

Eventually Carlos managed to gain the power to speak. "Is he...?" He started but stopped himself and let the question linger in the heavy air. Logan hadn't been moving for a while and Grace shook her head.

"No. No, he's still breathing a-and I can feel his heart pound." She said and ran her fingers through Logan's hair. "He's not dead." She said and hugged the raven haired boy closer. "He's not dead..." She repeated when Kendall took a step forward and pressed two fingers against Logan's throat.

"I can't feel anything." He said.

Grace glared up at him and shoved him in the chest. "HE'S NOT DEAD!" She shouted so loud her voice cracked and her own throat hurt. James and Carlos both bowed their heads and Kendall frowned down at her. "He isn't..." Grace whimpered and gave the blond a truly desperate look that dripped with sadness and pleas. "He isn't dead."

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><p><strong>Hey, guys! Just a quick note here. If you've already read this story then I'm glad you came back for a second run! I'm updating this pretty much everyday and several times a day because it's not that hard to edit and so on. <strong>

**I'll most likely mold a few chapters together where I think they should be longer but I'm pretty sure that most chapters will be as short as they were before. Maybe slightly longer. **

**I hope you enjoy! **

**First time readers: Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoy!**

**Second time readers: Thank you for giving this another chance! I love you all!**


	3. I'm sorry

A sudden movement from Logan made Grace look back down. His hand twitched slightly and she quickly brought both her hands to his cheeks and looked down at him. "L-Logan?" She gasped and shifted on the bed. "Gosh, Logan... You scared me so." She sighed and turned to the others with a weak smile. "S-See? He's fine! He's alive!" She cried and turned back to Logan and smiled down at him. He brought one of his hands up and tangled his fingers in her long hair.

The other boys tensed up and James clenched his hands into fists. "Grace..." He said but the girl ignored him.

"Grace, get out of there..." Kendall said warily. "Grace." he demanded. By then even Grace had felt that something wasn't quite right. Logan's hand was gently pulling her hair, bringing her closer. The pulling was weak but grew stronger. "Grace!" Kendall shouted and pulled his own gun out and aimed it at Logan but he couldn't get a clear shot since Grace was blocking the way.

"Grace, get out!" James yelled and took a step forward towards the bed with his ax in a tight grip. Grace was scared, she couldn't get away and shut her eyes as tight as she could, gripping Logan's wrists. Ready for the inevitable.

Logan's lips gently brushed against hers and the brief touch turns into a sweet kiss. Grace's hands fell from the wounded boy's wrists and she braced herself against the mattress. For a moment the room was filled with confusion until Logan broke away and smiled up at the young girl.

"Hey." He murmured.

Grace smiled down at him and blinked a few tears away. "H-Hey..." She choked out and Logan sat up and hugged her tightly. The others lowered their weapons and sighed in relief. Carlos walked up to the bed and sat down on it.

"Logan, you're...!" He said and placed a hand on Logan's shoulder. "How?"

"I wish I knew." Logan sighed and shook his head. The color was starting to return to his face and he wasn't as pale anymore. His lips were almost back to their normal sweet, rosy color. Grace hugged him tightly and smiled.

"But you're alive!" She said and Logan wrapped his arms around her. "You're alive." She said and Logan let her go and eyed her before he turned to the others. He looked thoughtful and puzzled, like he was trying to figure something out.

He shook his head. "I'm alive." He mumbled. "But... I think I... died." he said. Grace hugged him once more.

"It doesn't matter! You're alive when we could have lost you. I could have lost you..." She said and kissed him.

Kendall – that only a few days earlier had confessed his love for the young girl but gotten rejected – frowned and huffed out a breath before leaving the room. James and Carlos stayed for a while and told Logan how glad they were that he was still alive and seemingly well.

"I can't believe you pulled through!" James said and gave the raven haired boy a big hug. Logan winced and sucked in a sharp breath. "Oh, sorry, Logan." James apologized and quickly let him go. "I forgot that you're still not healed up."

"You must be starving." Grace said and caressed Logan's cheek. "I'll go and get you something to eat." She offered and jumped up to her feet and hurried down into the kitchen while James and Carlos stayed with Logan up in the bedroom.

The young girl plated up some food for Logan and reheated it in the old microwave. She felt a pair of eyes watch her and she slumped a bit. She sighed before turning around to face the blond. "So that's why..." He said with his arms crossed over his chest. He was leaning against the doorpost and looked mighty disappointed. He wasn't even looking at the girl but at the floor by her feet. "Logan..." He muttered.

"Kendall..." Grace started. "I-..." She said but hesitated, not quite sure of what to say. "I'm-..."

The blond noticed her lack of words and explanations and shook his head. "D-Don't." he said. "I get it. You love him, don't you?" He sighed and his disappointment seemed to double when Grace nodded her head. "I should have known..." he sighed and smothered his hand over his face.

"I'm sorry, Kendall..." Grace said and took the food out of the microwave and walked past the blond to bring it to Logan, leaving Kendall standing in the kitchen with his arms crossed over his chest and a heartbroken expression on his face.

Logan ate the food quickly and sloppily. _He must really be hungry,_ Grace thought to herself when she watched him wolf down the food. She'd stayed with him when the others had left. Kendall hadn't bothered to come back up. He was probably sulking somewhere and Grace guessed that he was sitting out on the balcony in the cold.

Grace had a feeling that things were about to get awkward but she just couldn't let that get in the way of survival. Nothing could.

The dark was creeping in on them and it wasn't long until they had to go to bed. They all shared a room and bed, mostly for safety reasons since they didn't like the idea of spreading out in the house. Everyone didn't sleep at the same time, though. There was always one person awake, guarding the others.

"You must be tired." Logan said softly. "You've been awake all this time." he said and caressed Grace's cheek. She smiled tiredly at him.

"So have the others." She said. "And they've been guarding as well, I'm fine."

Carlos – that had came back to see how things were – giggled. "You were worried sick about Logan. For a while I thought that you would faint, grace." he said and Grace shoved him gently in the side.

"Shut up." She hissed but the latino only giggled and James grinned at them from the doorway.

"Who'll take the first watch tonight?" Kendall asked, appearing in the door. Everyone turned to look at him.

"I'll do it." Grace offered.

Logan put his hand on her arm. "Grace, you're tired." He said and Kendall glanced at Logan before looking back at the girl.

"Can you do it?" he asked. Grace shrugged Logan off and got up. She walked up to the blond and looked him in the eyes.

"Yes." She said and Kendall eyed her before nodding. Grace huffed out a breath and grabbed the small pipe she'd used as a weapon for the past few weeks and leaves the room. The four boys crawled into the bed to go to sleep. There was plenty of places to sleep and rest in the house but the bedroom was the natural place to sleep and sleeping together always gave off a sense of comfort and safety.

Grace silently closed the bedroom door but hesitated and then left the door slightly open. It was cold and she looked around for a sweatshirt or a jacket to wear over her t-shirt. She found an old hoodie that James used to wear and pulled it over her head. James wouldn't mind, no one really minded whenever someone borrowed their clothes. Clothes wasn't such a big deal anymore. They were only for keeping one warm and covering up the body. It didn't really matter what you wore anymore.

The young girl walked around the house for a while and went to check how they were doing on food and supplies. They were doing well and almost everything was fairly stocked. The only thing that needed to be refilled were the medical supplies. All four boys tried their best to be careful whenever they were out but somehow they almost always came back with small cuts, sprained ankles or bruises. It was a miracle that they were still alive.

It was all thanks to Kendall that they pulled through. He was the leader and not only to a former boy band but also a team of survivors. He'd been doing such a good job on keeping everyone safe but lately he'd been down. Even before he'd confessed his feelings for Grace and gotten turned down.

They used to be six in the group. Four boys and two girls. The second girl's name was Lydia. Grace had always liked her. Lydia was sweet, nice and a good chef. She grew up on a farm with her dad and three brothers and knew a lot about wildlife and even a thing or two about hunting. Perfect for the team.

But she too had been grabbed by a walker and gotten killed. The two girls, Kendall and James had been out hunting and Lydia had managed to kill a small deer. It was a miracle and the two boys had to help each other to carry it back. Grace and Lydia had functioned as scouts to keep an eye on possible dangers. Lydia ran ahead to see if the way was clear and it wasn't and she'd gotten surrounded by more walkers than she could handle.

James and Kendall had dropped everything to help Grace save her but in the end they were too late. They were overpowered and just barely managed to defeat the walkers and in the end Lydia still didn't make it...

Grace could still remember her. A dark haired girl with a sweet smile and freckles. She wiped a few tears away and flinched when someone tapped her on the shoulder. It was James. "I figured we'd change." he said. "I'll take over the watch for a while." He said with a soft smile.

The young girl didn't protest and nodded her head and went back to the bedroom. Carlos snored lowly and Kendall looked as if he was faking his sleep but Grace knew that he didn't He always slept like that – on his guard. Logan slept like he'd done all day, still and with a frown on his face.

The only space available on the bed was in between Kendall and Logan so Grace carefully climbed over Logan before snuggling down next to him and hugging his right arm. She felt Kendall curl up behind her and turn his back against her.

Maybe he was faking sleep after all.

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><p><strong>I seriously don't have anything to say since I update this like I do but writing ANs is a pure habit.<strong>

**I really hope that you enjoy the story and have a great day! :)**


	4. Bite me

Grace woke up the next morning with Carlos snuggling up against her back. Logan was still sleeping but he looked much better already. She sat up and climbed over a sleeping Logan and then silently walked down the stairs and into the kitchen. It was empty.

The door to the balcony – at the top of the stairs – was open and Grace found Kendall sitting outside in the sun. He was only wearing a pair of sweatpants and across his lap laid a rifle. His eyes were closed but Grace knew that he had most likely already heard her and knew that she was there. She didn't feel like talking to him at the moment so she made her way back down into the kitchen to look over the leftovers from the night before.

"Morning." James murmured and sat down by the table that still reeked of detergent and blood. Grace smiled at James.

"Good morning." She greeted him. "Any trouble last night?" She asked and James shook his head.

"No, Kendall took over after only an hour." James explained and rubbed his hazel eyes. Grace briefly frowned, worried about the blond. She wondered if he'd been up all night. _He must still be upset,_ she thought.

"Good morning, Gracie." Carlos chirped and came walking, plopping down on the chair next to James. She smiled at his and put two plates of food down on the table. The boys ate hungrily. "You're not having any?" Carlos asked with his mouth full.

The girl shook her head. "No, it's alright. I'm not really that hungry." She said and grabbed a third plate and brought it upstairs and out on the balcony. She stood in the doorway for a while with the plate in her hands and watched the blond sitting in the garden chair. His eyes were still closed.

"What do you want?" he suddenly asked, without opening his eyes or turning his head. Grace shifted where she stood and looked around.

"Um... I thought that you'd be hungry." She said. "I brought you something to eat." She said and held the plate out for him to see. Kendall opened his eyes and glanced at the food before looking away.

"Not hungry." He muttered.

"Liar." Grace said and he turned to look at the food again. She tried to catch his eyes but he persistently avoided hers.

"What?" he snapped.

"You're lying." Grace stated. "You can't look me in the eyes when you lie. That's why you avoid looking at me." She said and Kendall reluctantly looked up and met her eyes. Grace sighed and put the plate in his lap. "Eat." She mumbled before leaving him alone and heading back into the kitchen. Logan stood by the counter, drinking a glass of water. "Logan, what are you doing down here? You need to lie down!" Grace exclaimed and Logan turned to her.

He grinned sheepishly and put the glass down. "Good morning." he said. James and Carlos both chuckled before announcing that they were going out to the yard to play a few rounds of football. They both left.

"Don't forget to check the gate. I don't want you two dying." Grace told them before they made it out the front door and they both promised. Then she walked up to Logan and put her hand on his forehead. His fever was gone and she gave a smiled before lifting his shirt up and inspecting the bandages.

"Hello to you too." Logan said and smirked.

The bandages seemed clean and it didn't smell bad, a good sign. "Sorry, Logan. I have to check on you. I think we should change that later." Grace announced. Logan smiled and pulled her into a hug and kissed her lips.

"Thank you for saving my life, Grace." He cooed and she smiled shyly at him.

"I don't know what I would have done if you had died." She said and hugged him. He chuckled lowly and kissed the young girl's neck and she shuddered. "Logan." She murmured when he started nipping on her skin. She giggled in delight and hugged him. "It tickles." She said but Logan didn't listen and the nipping turned into small bites. "Logan, stop. It hurts." Grace complained. When it only got worse Grace started to get scared and tried to shove the raven haired boy away. "Logan, stop!" She yelled.

Logan hovered over her like a vampire, biting it's prey but they both fell to the floor with a thud. Grace gasped when she felt the skin on her neck break and the familiar, metallic smell of blood filled her nostrils.

She let out a shriek in pain and yelped when Kendall shoved Logan off of her and yanked her up from the floor. The blond wrapped a protective arm around her and her hand shot up and felt at the bite in her neck. Logan stood on the other side of the kitchen, looking confused. He had blood all over his lips and teeth but all trace of violence seem to have fallen out of his mind. "G-Grace?"

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><p><strong>I still don't have anything to say but ANs are my thing! :(<strong>

**I hope you enjoy the story :)**


	5. Gunshot

"G-Grace?" Logan breathed out and stared at the girl with wide eyes. "W-What happened?" he asked worriedly and took a step closer. Kendall pulled the girl closer to himself and further away from Logan.

"Don't you fucking move." he hissed and pulled out his gun, aiming for Logan's head. The raven haired boy stopped and stared at the gun.

Grace struggled to try and wriggle out of the blond's grip but he persistently held her close. "No! Don't shoot him!" She whimpered. Kendall glanced at her and then back to Logan. He did not look very happy and glared at Logan with two angry eyes.

"He tried to kill you, Grace." He grumbled and hugged her closer, letting his protective nature take over. A moment or two later James and Carlos came running and stopped when they saw the weapon aimed at their friend.

James furrowed his eyebrows and looked between Logan and Kendall. "What happened?" he asked. "We heard a scream." he said and looked at Grace. He gasped and his eyes widened. "Holy shit! What happened?!" he yelled.

Both Carlos and James turned to Kendall that hadn't taken his eyes off of Logan. "Logan bit Grace." He said coldly. The two others turned their stares to Logan.

The raven haired frowned and shook his head, looking absolutely devastated. "I-..." He whined. "I didn't mean to... I don't know what got into me. I just-... Please." he whined. "I'm sorry." He pleaded and took another step forward towards Grace. Kendall tightened his grip on the girl and pushed the hammer of the gun down. The gun was ready to shoot and everyone knew that Kendall would not hesitate to fire.

"Sorry doesn't quite cut it." Kendall growled. Grace put her hand on Kendall's chest and he finally looked away from his friend and turned to look at her.

"Kendall, stop..." She said. She wobbled a bit. Her vision was getting blurry and her head spun, making her dizzy. "Don't shoot him." She mumbled.

"She needs medical attention." Logan said and eyed the girl. James and Carlos – that had been pretty much stunned and remained passive – grabbed a gentle hold of Grace and took her from the blond leader and the raven haired boy and brought her to the living room. James stayed with her while Carlos went to get something to treat the wound with.

"Does it hurt?" James asked softly when Grace was finally lying down. She weakly shook her head and blinked her eyes.

"N-No, but I have to stop Kendall..." She said just as Carlos came back with a first aid kit. The two boys tried patch Grace up. She struggled a bit and pushed them away. "Stop it, guys. I need to go back." She said and tried to get up, only to be pushed back down by James.

He gave her a stern look and shook his head. "Your wound." He said but she only glared at him and hurried back towards the kitchen, running through the hallway and stumbling by the stairs when a gunshot rang out from the kitchen.

Grace felt her legs give away underneath her. "No..." She whined and stared at the kitchen door. She pulled herself back up on her feet and ran to the kitchen but hesitated outside. She forced a breath of air into her lungs before she looked inside. Logan stood right where he'd been standing when she left and so did Kendall. There was a hole in the cupboard behind Logan's head. None of the boys noticed the girl in the doorway.

Logan shook his head and looked at Kendall. "Why?" He asked. Kendall lowered the gun and gave a sigh.

"Grace would hate me if I killed you." he said and shook his head. "She loves you." His voice was low and shaky but he was really trying to keep it steady.

"Kendall, I-..." Logan said but the blond walked out of the kitchen, stopping by the door. He swirled around and glared at the smarter boy.

"If you hurt her." He warned and held up a finger. "If you in any way hurt her again... I'll kill you. Do you hear me? I'll kill you."

Logan nodded and before Kendall exited the kitchen Grace hurried to hide in the storage room and waited until Kendall had passed before she peeked out. Logan stood motionless in the kitchen for a long while but looked up when Grace came running. "Logan!"

"Grace! What are you doing here?" Logan gasped. "You're bleeding." He said and the young girl crashed into him and slung her arms around him and hugged him. "Grace..." Logan sighed but she only tightened her grip.

She sniffled and then looked up at the raven haired boy. "Are you alright?" She asked.

Logan nodded stiffly. "I'm fine. But you are still bleeding." He said and grabbed the girl by her arms. "Carlos!" He called and the latino appeared in the door moments later, looking rather timid and a little but ashamed. "Grace is still bleeding. Weren't you going to help her?" He asked and Carlos' cheeks flushed red.

"Y-Yeah... Come on, Grace." He said and held his hand out for grace to take but he didn't move from the doorway. Grace turned to Logan.

"Go." Logan ordered softly and smiled.

Grace nodded. "I will but please... Logan, go back to bed. You need to rest." She said and Logan nodded. Grace followed Carlos back to the living room and let him and James clean the wound up properly. Carlos was very passive since he was worried about hurting more than helping so James did most of the work.

When they're done they put Grace to rest in the couch and they both got up to leave her. "Carlos?" Grace called and the latino turned to her.

"Y-Yeah?" He stuttered. "What is it?"

"Could you come here for a moment?"

James left the room and Carlos sat down on the couch next to Grace and smiled weakly at her. "What's up?" he asked. "Are you okay?"

Grace glanced at the door and then back up at Carlos. "Where's Kendall?" She asked silently. Carlos shrugs his shoulders.

"He's probably sitting up on the balcony. I'm not sure." He said. Grace nodded slowly. "Why?" Carlos asked carefully and the young girl shook her head.

"Oh, I was just... wondering." She mumbled.

Carlos smiled softly at her and patted her shoulder. "It's alright." he said. "I'll go if there wasn't something else you wanted." He cooed. "Rest now and try not to strain yourself. Just call if you need anything." He added and smiled once again before leaving the living room.

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><p><strong>I remember writing this the first time and I was super excited to show it to you guys. And the response was amazing! This bring out such great memories :)<strong>


	6. Run away

Grace spent a few hours resting, dozing in and out of sleep but she wasn't really tired. Eventually she couldn't take sitting still anymore and snuck out of the living room and had a walk around the house. Logan had gone back to bed just like he had promised, Kendall sat in his usual spot on the balcony and the others were outside, trying to enjoy a game of soccer in the yard. There was an eight feet high wall around the house so at least they wouldn't have to worry too much about walkers when they were inside of the wall.

The young brunette wasn't too sure of what to do. Logan needed the rest, she didn't want to face Kendall just yet and she wasn't in the mood for outdoor games. She decided to explore the house. Now, they had already done that but there was still a few places to look.

She started in the second bedroom. It was a child's room with a small bed and a bunch of toys littering the floor. Grace had a seat on the tiny bed and had a look around. The walls were painted pink but the pain was worn and chipped. An uneasy feeling lingered in the room so she decided not to stay much longer. It was kind of sad thinking that it once lived a child in the house. A child that was most likely gone.

The next room she explored was the bathroom. She looked through the cabinets for other things than medical supplies and found a small bag filled with makeup. In it there was also a small bottle of aspirins which she stuffed into the pocked of the hoodie she wore. Her attention was turned back to the makeup and she smiled to herself. She couldn't remember the last time she had thought about makeup, much less the last time she used it.

She fooled around for a while and drew an uneven line of eyeliner on her eyelid and applied a thin layer of pink lip gloss.

"Grace?" She heard Logan call from the living room. She put the bag of makeup away and put it back in the cabinet under the sink.

"I'm coming!" She called and hurried back down the stairs and found Logan sitting on the couch. "Hey, what's up?" She asked and the raven haired boy looked up at her. He looked surprised.

"You're wearing makeup!" he said and smiled. Grace blushed slightly but nodded and smiled happily.

She nodded her head towards the stairs. "I found some up in the bathroom." She mumbled. "Um... what's wrong?" She asked when she noticed how troubled Logan looked. He shook his head and smiled innocently.

"Oh, nothing." He said. "I'm just tired of lying in the bedroom. I needed a change of scenery, you know." He said and Grace nodded her head. "Um... Grace." Logan mumbled and sighed. Grace walked over and sat down next to him, giving him a questioning look. "I'm sorry." Logan blurted out. "About before... I honestly don't know what got into me. It was like I blacked out." He explained. "I'm so sorry."

Grace quickly shook her head and took a gentle hold of Logan's hand. "Logan, it's alr-"

"No, it's not alright." Logan interrupted. "What if I hurt you? More than I already did?" he asked.

"Logan, I love you." Grace said and kissed him. "I'll take the risk." She continued but Logan didn't look happy about the confession.

"I had a feeling you'd say that..." he mumbled. "I'm just so scared that I'll hurt you again."

The brunette hugged him and rocked him back and forth. "You won't. I just know it." She cooed and Logan hugged her back. "I love you, Logan." She said softly.

A few days passed and both Grace and Logan healed up nicely. Logan's wound healed nicely and he walked around a lot instead of just lie about like Grace told him to. Grace, Carlos and James decided to make their way out of the house and yard to find something to eat. The two boys had been restless and used the lack of food as an excuse to get out. Grace insisted on that someone stayed at home together with Logan and she was surprised when Kendall volunteered. She was a bit worried considering what she had heard the day Logan had bitten her.

"You okay, Grace?" James asked and nudged her arm. She flinched back and blinked her eyes a few times.

"What?" She asked.

James sighed. "Concentrate." He said and poked her forehead. "We're not in the house anymore. You have to focus." he told her before they continued on.

The closest shop lies a little less than two miles away from the house but there's barely anything there. They find a few cans of fruit under the shelves and the boys aren't too pleased with that. Grace found a few batteries and some candles, it certainly isn't as important as food but it's still needed and Kendall had taught them to grab everything they might need.

The three head back to the house without encountering any walkers. When they got back they found Logan sitting in the kitchen, reading a book Grace had gotten him a while back. She made it a habit to always pick up a new book for him when she found one. He had been beyond excited when she gave it too him and he looked even happier when Grace walked into the kitchen. Logan wasn't allowed out yet and he always worried when she went out.

He smiled brightly at the girl when she put the cans, batteries and other various things out on the table.

She found Kendall in his usual spot up on the balcony in the garden chair with a rifle lying across his lap. He was sleeping, something that was very unusual for Kendall. He barely ever slept, so whenever Grace found him sleeping she'd leave him be. Kendall had goosebumps all over his arms, probably because of the cold. Grace rolled her eyes and went inside and got a blanket and covered the blond up with it. _At least he's sleeping. Even if it's outside..._ She thought. Kendall shifted in his sleep and murmured silently. The young girl gently stroked her hand over his head and then went back into the kitchen, where chaos had broken out.

"Logan... s-stay where you are." Carlos stuttered. He was trapped in the corner of the kitchen and James laid limp and unconscious on the floor.

"What the hell is going on?" Grace gasped and flinched back when Logan turned around to face her. His eyes were dark, cloudy and aggressive. "L-Logan?" Grace whispered. The raven haired boy took a step closer and grabbed a hold of her, curling his fingers around her frail neck and tightening his grip around her airways. "L-Logan... stop." She whined.

Logan was strangling her and she was helpless. "I-I'll go and get Kendall!" Carlos gasped.

"No!" Grace yelled. "No! Carlos, help me!"

The latino hesitated before he picked up James' ax and swung it at Logan, hitting him in the side with the blunt part of the ax. Logan hissed in pain and fell to the floor, letting go of Grace who sank into a heap on the floor and sucked in a breath of air.

"G-Grace?" Logan gasped and stared over at the girl. His eyes had returned to normal and he seemed so much weaker than he did a second ago. Carlos lowered the ax but stayed alert. Logan frowned and shook his head. "I-... I did it again, didn't I?" he asked.

"Logan..." Grace whispered and crawled closer to him.

"No. Get away from me." Logan said and pushed her away. Grace frowned and looked at him.

"But-"

Logan shot up from the floor and pushed the girl away. "No!" he yelled and ran out the door. Grace scrambled to get to her feet and followed.

"Logan, wait!" She called but he didn't listen to her and ran out of the house and swiftly climbed over the gate and ran off. "Logan!" Grace shouted after him. She was too small, too short to climb over the wall and the gate was locked. "LOGAN!" She shouted and shook the gate, like it was going to open when she did. She gripped the iron bars and slid down to the ground. "Logan!" She wailed and burst out crying.

But the raven haired boy was already out of sight.

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><p><strong>Hey, guys! I'm updating this again and I'll probably post a few more chapters today!<strong>

**I am so glad that you guys seem to like that I update and edit this story. I'm so glad for the nice things you say about this and all my other stories and I'm so grateful! Thank you!**

**I hope that you enjoyed the chapter and the story. Thank you for reading and I hope that you are well. Take good care of yourself :)**


	7. Gone

"Logan!" Grace whined once more and slammed her hands against the iron gate. Tears ran down her face and she sobbed uncontrollably.

"Grace..." She felt a hand on her shoulder. It was Kendall. The brunette couldn't even bring herself to look at him. "Grace, let's go inside. It's cold out here." Kendall said softly and helped her up. "Please." he cooed when she struggled.

Grace's motivation and will suddenly disappeared and she stood back up and wrapped her arms around Kendall's neck. He seemed surprised at first but eventually put his arms around the girl and hugged her. "He's gone..." Grace whimpered. "Kendall, he's gone!"

Kendall gently patted her back and she cried into his shirt, soaking it with salty tears. Kendall didn't say anything, he knew better than that. He just stood there and let Grace cry. From time to time he'd carefully stroke her hair or rub her back but other than that he'd leave he alone and after almost half an hour she calmed down enough to be lead inside the house again.

James had woken up – with a nasty bump on his head – and he and Carlos were sitting in the living room. They looked up when Kendall lead Grace past the room and up the stairs into the bedroom.

"Grace, here..." He murmured and sat the girl down on the bed. She flopped down and hid her face in one of the pillows before she started to cry again. Kendall gave her a sad look and lingered for a second or two before attempting to sneak out to give her some privacy.

"D-Don't go!" Grace cried and he stopped. She sat up and wiped her eyes. "N-Not you too!" She whimpered and Kendall gave a sigh before going back over to the bed and sitting down on it. Grace laid back down and Kendall began stroking his hand over her head and hum on a song he had written a long time ago.

Grace stopped crying and just laid there and listened, occasionally sobbing and hugging a pillow close to her chest. After a while Carlos peeked into the room. "Um... f-food is ready. If you're hungry." he said. Kendall nodded. "How are you doing, Grace?" Carlos asked and shuffled closer to the bed. Kendall gave him a grateful look and Grace looked up.

Her bottom lip was trembling and she barely stuttered out a syllable before she broke down into sniffles and sobs again. Kendall gently patted her shoulder.

"It's alright." Carlos said and held his hands up. "Just... take it easy. Alright?" he said and chuckled stiffly. "A-Are you hungry?" He asked again. She nodded and hugged the pillow closer. "Do you want to eat?" Carlos continued and she nodded again. "Great." Carlos said with a smile. "Come on down. I've made your favorite soup."

Kendall stood up and Grace followed and grabbed a hold of Carlos' hand with one hand and hugged Kendall's arm with the other. The latino lead her down to the kitchen and sat her down in one of the chairs by the table. Carlos snaked out of her grip and served her some food. Kendall had a seat next to her and James joined on her other side. Everything was going alright until Grace's eyes fell on the empty chair on the other side of the table, reminding her that Logan was really gone.

Her eyes teared up and they boys silently consoled her. James patted her shoulder and gave her a brief hug. "I'm sorry, Grace." he said.

It sounded like Logan was dead. Like he passed away. Grace could try and think of it that way but no matter how hard she tried she knew it wasn't the truth. Logan was still alive and he was out there, where it was getting dark, fast.

The three boys refused to let Grace take the first watch even though she offered to take it. James took it and Carlos tucked the brunette girl in. The bed seemed so much bigger when there was one less person laying in it. It was sad. Grace couldn't sleep. Carlos hugged her arm and snored silently next to her. Kendall lied on her other side just as lifeless as herself but his eyes were closed. She could hear James walk around in the house, humming or singing silently to himself. She wanted to get out of bed but she couldn't. Her body wouldn't listen.

"Kendall?" She asked and turned to look at him. "Kendall?" She called again and his eyes opened slowly and he turned his head and looked at her. His eyes met hers and he held the look.

"Yeah?" He whispered back. Grace stared into his eyes.

"Is... is he coming back?" She asked.

Kendall broke eye contact and turned his head slightly, looking up at the ceiling. _He's gonna lie to me again,_ Grace though but then Kendall looked at her again and caught her eyes. "I don't know, Grace." he said. He was being honest. "I don't know." he repeated. Grace eyed him for a brief moment before leaning her head on his arm.

"I don't hate you." She whispered. Kendall hesitated before turning back to look at the ceiling and let out a sigh of relief.

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><p><strong>Enjoying the updates? I am :) The memories are kinda nice.<strong>

**Thank you for reading :)**


	8. Exploring

The night passed excruciatingly slow and neither of the four friends got much sleep. Grace slept lightly, haunted by nightmares, James took her watch and Kendall lied awake thinking of what the girl next to him had said to him – that she didn't hate him.

When Grace woke up again she was hit by realization once more. Logan was gone. Kendall had fallen asleep and seemed unusually calm and relaxed, a state his friends hadn't seen him in in a long time. Grace sighed and got out of the bed and found James and Carlos sitting in the living room, taking with low voices.

"Hi." She murmured after she'd watched them for a brief moment.

The two boys both flinched and then looked up at the girl in the door. "Grace! You're up!" James said and gave a smile. "Did you sleep well?" He asked and Grace shrugged her shoulders. The fact that no one seemed to acknowledge that Logan was gone was troubling. It was a ritual by now, whenever they lost anyone they pretended as if it didn't happen. A shiver raced down Grace's body when she thought about it.

"Are you cold, Grace?" Carlos asked and just then the girl felt that the whole room was chilly and she wrapped her arms around herself and nodded. The latino shed his sweatshirt and handed it to her. "Here you go." he offered but Grace shook her head.

"Carlos, if I take it you'll be cold." She said. Carlos gave a chuckle.

"It's alright. My hot latino blood keeps me warm." he joked and winked. Grace smiled a bit and took the sweatshirt and pulled it over her head. She sat down and joined the two guys for a while and talked a little. They tried to stay cheerful and talk about the things they liked and what they hoped to find the next time they went out.

An hour or two later Kendall came down the stairs. His blond hair was messy and he yawned but he seemed strangely rested and calm. "Good morning..." He mumbled and the others greeted him and he sat down in the armchair and smothered his hand over his face. The atmosphere changed slightly and everyone silenced down.

"What's on today's schedule?" Carlos then piped up. "Anyone up for a game of football?"

James was up for the challenge but Grace wasn't too excited about it and passed. Kendall didn't want to play either. The two players went out to the yard to play and Grace watched them from the balcony. She sat in the garden chair and wondered why she hadn't spent much time out there, it was quite nice and comfortable. No wonder Kendall rarely left the spot.

The sun was shining and the chilly morning turned into a warm spring day. "Touchdown!" James cheered and threw the ball into the ground and ran a victory lap around the yard. Carlos laughed and picked the ball up and threw it at the brunet. James dodged it and attempted to do a cartwheel which he failed at. Grace giggled and the two boys looked up at her. "Oh, like you could do it better!" James said and chuckled.

"I know I could!" Grace called back and smiled. The guys down at the ground laughed and started up a new game while the young girl got out of the chair to go and take her exploring back up. The last time she'd found a bunch of makeup and she wondered what she'd find this time. She glanced down at her friends a final time before turning to go back inside, walking straight into Kendall. "Oh, sorry." She blurted out.

"It's alright." Kendall said and Grace continued past him. "Where are you going?" he asked her and she stopped and turned to look at him.

"Um... Exploring?" She said and looked down at her feet.

Kendall nodded. "Oh... okay." He mumbled. "Be careful, okay?" He added and this time Grace nodded.

"I'm just gonna check the house out and maybe the yard. I won't be far." She said and received another nod. She lingered for a second of two before leaving the balcony and hurrying down the stairs.

The house – that could almost pass for a mansion – was huge and Grace thought about that when she explored the room next to the kitchen. It appeared to be some kind of dining room. A long table stood in the middle of the room and above it hung a large crystal chandelier. The power was still working in the house but Grace doesn't want to waste it on the chandelier so she didn't turn in on. There was a grand piano and a large cupboard in the other side of the room and she went through it but found nothing but fine dining plates and expensive looking vases.

The rest of the room was about as interesting as the dust in the cupboard so Grace left it to continue on. She found a tiny closet under the staircase and in an old box she found a collection of mixed cassettes and a radio with a cassette player. Grace lit up into an excited smile and ran to the supply room and grabbed two small batteries and put them in the radio. She grinned victoriously when she got it to work and the all too familiar tunes of Michael Jackson replaced the silence. She sat on the floor and hummed along to 'Billie Jean' when Carlos appeared in the door.

"Oh my gosh! Is that music?!" He asked and Grace smiled up at him and nodded. "Oh, cool!"

Grace nodded and handed the radio over to him. "Here, you can go and show James." She said and smiled. She wasn't in the mood for any company and kind of hoped that Carlos and James would leave her alone for a while. The latino took the radio and hurried back outside to the yard. Grace got up and gave a small sigh, eager to continue to explore.

She walked around for a while and tried to find something that perked her interest. They had gone through most of the house when they moved in. She strolled around on the first floor for a while before she came to a stop outside a worn door and eyed it.

They hadn't checked the basement yet.

Grace knew better than to go down into the unexplored basement alone but there was just something that made her ignore her common sense and open the door and descent down the stairs. It was dark in the basement and the air was thick and dusty. The lights didn't work but it wouldn't really make any difference. Most of the lights came from the boarded up window.

The young girl had a look around and examined various things she thought looked interesting. "What are you doing down here?" A voice rang out and she jumped and gave a small yelp in surprise.

"K-Kendall." She gasped and turned around. "Gosh... you scared me." She said and sighed. "I-I was just exploring." She explained. The blond nodded and looked around. "W-Why are you here?" Grace asked and furrowed her eyebrows. She was worried Kendall had come down simply to check on her like he always did and sometimes she wondered if he didn't understand that she could take care of herself.

"I-... um... I though I heard music." Kendall said and picked up some dusty shoe from the ground and eyed it before tossing it into the corner of the room. "I got curious." He said with a smile.

Grace couldn't help but smile back. "Yeah... I found an old cassette player but Carlos has it right now." She explained and Kendall nodded absently. The two silenced down and both continued to look around in the basement until Grace patted Kendall's shoulder and pointed to one of the shelves in the back of the cellar. "There's a door behind it." She whispered.

They help each other to get the shelf out of the way and then open the door. It' was old and the handle was rusty so it took a while before they got it open. There was a small string hanging from the light bulb on the ceiling and Kendall gently tugged at it and surprisingly the light flickered on and filled the tiny room with a dim light.

"Look at all the food." Grace whispered and moved aside so that Kendall could have a look. There was boxes of various canned food, pickled vegetables, first aid kits and a stock of batteries and matches.

Kendall picked up a book lying on one of the shelves and eyed it. "Survive the end of the world..." He mumbled. "I'll be damned. We're living in a house that belonged to a family of apocalypse maniacs." he said and gave a chuckle.

"Well, since it happened I suppose they weren't maniacs." Grace said softly. "This is just what we need." She said and stood up straight in the room and hit her head on a board. "Ow!" She yelped and jumped back half a step and the board tumbled over and slammed the door shut. "Oops..." She mumbled and blushed.

Kendall rolled his eyes and turned to the door and grabbed the handle. "You're always so clumsy." He sighed and pulled at the handle. "It's stuck." he sighed and jiggled the doorknob a little only for it to break off.

"If I'm clumsy, then what are you?" Grace muttered and crossed her arms over her chest. Kendall frowned and tried to get the door open but it was useless. "Damn it. It's really stuck." He said after a minute or two trying to get the wooden door open. "Carlos! James!" He called.

"It's no use. They're both outside, they won't hear you." Grace told him and slid to the floor and sat down with her back leaned against a bag of flour. Kendall hesitated a bit before plopping down next to her and sighing in defeat.

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><p><strong>I remember writing this. It was such a long time ago. At least it feels like it. <strong>

**Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoy!**


	9. Confessions in the dark

Grace and Kendall sat silently, locked up inside the small storage room. The lights from the room outside started to fade and they could only guess that it was getting dark outside and that the natural light was disappearing.

"I'm sorry, Grace." Kendall mumbled and the girl turned to look at him.

"It's alright. The doorknob was rusty." She said but Kendall shook his head.

"I'm not talking about the doorknob, even if that's my fault too..." he said. Grace eyed him, wondering where he was going with the strained conversation. "I'm talking about Logan." Kendall said and Grace couldn't do anything but stare at him. "If I hadn't been so distracted that day... If I had only checked that room, Logan would still be here." He said. "It was my fault that he was bitten. I'm sorry." The blond gulped. His throat was aching with guilt and he tried to stay calm but a sob escaped his lips. "Gosh, I'm such a lousy leader. First Lydia and now... Logan, my best friend. I-I'll probably lose you next." He said and this time his voice gave up and turned into a whine.

Grace put a hand on his arm. "Kendall..."

"What was I thinking, letting you explore the house like this by yourself?" he asked himself. "And the basement too! We haven't even checked down here yet. What if there was a walker down here? Or what if you'd get trapped in here all by yourself? I would never have thought of looking down here for you." He said.

Grace glared at him and gripped his arm tightly in her hand. "Kendall, look at me!" She demanded and grabbed his head between her hands. "You're not a lousy leader. You're a great leader!" She told him. "Look at this place! It's safe! We've got electricity, running water and an eight feel wall to protect us!" She said. "Accidents happen... Lydia's death wasn't you fault a-and... L-Logan wasn't bit because you didn't check that room." She said and gulped. Kendall stared at her with wide eyes. "I checked the room but I didn't do it as well as I should have. There was a walker in there, hiding." She whimpered. "I didn't see it but I would have if I had... looked a little closer..." She said and sobbed.

"Grace, don't cry." Kendall pleaded. He felt like his heart was breaking all over again. He hated it when Grace cried and he couldn't bare seeing her so upset. He quickly wrapped his arms around the girl and let out a sob himself.

"But you're crying." Grace whined and hugged him back.

Kendall chuckled and pulled away with a small smile on his lips. "I'm not." He said and wiped his eyes. "It's just so dusty in here!" He said and sniffled. Grace started to laugh and Kendall wiped his eyes again.

"You're so funny." She said while she was trying to catch her breath. Kendall smiled and shook his head. "I like you a lot better like this." Grace said softly. "When you relax and have fun."

Kendall arched an eyebrow and looked down at the girl. "Am I not relaxed enough?" He asked and Grace smiled.

"No." She said. "I think that you're taking that leader role too serious." She continued. "You're kind of stiff and... boring." She confessed and poked the blond's arm. "It's a lot funnier when you're like this... like you were before."

Kendall chuckled a bit and scratched the back of his neck. "Maybe I've been a little too grown up lately..." He mumbled and Grace nodded.

"Yup." She said and turned around and grabbed a can of peaches. She opened it and ate one of the sweet fruits with her hand. "Mm, tasty." She hummed and held the can out for the blond. "Want one?" She asked and Kendall nodded and took one. Grace laughed when he bit into the fruit and the sticky juices ran down his chin.

Kendall cursed silently and sighed. "Very funny..." He muttered with a sarcastic tone and grimaced at the girl who giggled and reached over and wiped his chin with the sleeve of the sweatshirt she wore. The blond blushed and looked away.

They finished the can of fruit and share the sweet juice left in the can. Grace added a witty comment about Kendall making a big mess and he punished her by tickling her until he could steal the can from her and finish the rest, without making a mess. They weren't sure of how long they sat in the room but it must have been hours and outside the door it was dark and their only source of light was the tiny light bulb.

Grace was tired and constantly kept dozing off, bumping her head against Kendall's arm every time she did until Kendall tapped her shoulder. "I think I can hear James." he said and got up and started pounding on the door. Grace jumped back up on her feet and listened closer.

_"__Kendall! Grace! Where are you?"_ They heard James call, his voice muffled by the door and the distance.

"James!" Kendall called. "Carlos, we're down here! In the basement!"

Steps boomed down the basement stairs followed by a crash and cursing from James. Kendall and Grace glanced at each other and chuckled lowly. "It's pitch black down here!" James complained and told Carlos to go and get a flashlight. Grace pushed past Kendall and banged on the door.

"James! James, over here!" She yelled and pressed herself against the door and placed her ear against it to listen. "James!" Kendall awkwardly tried to move away from the girl and not brush against her but since it was such a confined space they were pressed up against each other.

"Where the hell are you guys at?" James asked and looked around in the dark cellar, he couldn't see anything but shadows and vague shapes in the darkness. Grace called for him and he turned in the general direction of the small door.

"We're in here!" Grace said. "The door handle broke off and we can't get out." She explained and James nodded just as Carlos came back with a flashlight. He took it and looked around.

"Where are you?" He asked and walked over to the door. "Are you guys in there?"

_"No, we're by the space shuttle by the window. Of course we're in here!"_ Kendall sighed from inside the room. James and Carlos exchanged weird looks and they heard Grace giggle. The brunet gulped a bit and had an extremely hard time to understand that Kendall Knight had just cracked a joke.

He pulled himself together and nodded to himself. "O-Okay, uh... Back away from the door, I'll break it down." He said and Grace and Kendall both backed away from the door the best they could and James got the door open. "Hey." he said when the dust had settled and Grace jumped out and smiled.

"Finally!" She said. "We've been in there for hours!" She sighed and Kendall sided with her.

"When you two ran off with that radio Grace went down here all by herself." He said seriously. "I came down here because I heard the commotion and found the basement door open." he said.

"Then I found this cool room with supplies and Kendall and I checked it out and got shut inside. Then the handle broke and we couldn't get out." Grace continued and Carlos slipped past her and had a look inside the supply storage.

James blushed a bit and looked worried. "Have you two been in there all that time?" he asked and when Grace nodded he looked guilty. "Sorry..." He mumbled and scratched the back of his neck. Kendall eyed his friend and softened a bit. Sometimes he forgot that they were all still just teenagers and not adults. The handsome brunet looked childishly ashamed and shifted nervously where he stood.

"It's alright." Kendall said and gave a small smile. "It wasn't such a bad thing after all." He said and nudged the girl next to him. When she turned to smile at him his cheeks flushed red and he struggled to keep eye contact.

"Um... guys... You _have_ to check this out..." Carlos said and turned around. He was almost glowing in pure joy and his friends looked puzzled. "Check. This. Out." He said and held up a big and very familiar jar. His friends seemed to freeze.

"Is that...?" Grace stuttered.

"Holy..." James breathed.

"Oh my God." Kendall gasped.

"Yeah." Carlos said and grinned and turned the jar around and eyed it. "Chocolate." he confirmed and held the Nutella jar up for them all to see. "The stuff dreams are made of." Carlos said and for a few moments no one moved or said anything.

"S-Should we open it?" Grace asked and glanced at her friends. They boys all wore the same greedy expression and they all exchanged looks before an insane race to the kitchen started. The four friends wrestled their way up the stairs and tripped over each other when they got to the kitchen.

Everyone grabbed a spoon. "Stop!" James suddenly yelled and they all froze once more. "At the same time." He said and Carlos nodded eagerly. Everyone took turns with dipping their spoons in the dreamy chocolate and then eagerly waited for everyone to do the same. They all shoved the spoons into their mouths and let out equal sighs and hums.

"_So good!"_ Grace squealed and Kendall only nodded in agreement and thoroughly licked the spoon clean. They ended up eating close to half of the jar before they all agreed on saving the rest for another occasion and after that it was time for bed. Grace took the first guard and the boys went to bed and everyone got a full, good night of sleep.

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><p><strong>Updating! Again! It's like the fourth time now! Wow!<strong>

**I hope you enjoy the story. Thank you for reading :)**


	10. Going insane?

While the others seemed to have found peace and slept well at night, Grace was haunted by nightmares and whimpered and thrashed around in her sleep. She fell asleep only to find herself in the same dream she'd been dreaming for almost three months, ever since Logan ran off. In the dream she chased Logan through a maze of bright white corridors. She ran after him and called out for him but he never answered and disappeared around a corner over and over again. Grace found herself by a crossroad where she could see the end of each way.

In the right corridor Logan stood. He was pale and looked sad and bothered. Grace called for him but he didn't respond, he just looked at her with two very pleading eyes.

Kendall was in the end of the right corridor, fighting several walkers that were clearly too many for him to handle on his own. Grace could see that he was being overpowered and wouldn't last much longer. She knew she had to chose but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Her dream-self wouldn't obey her thoughts and all she could do was to close her eyes and listen to the gunshots, Logan's crying and Kendall's screams.

James tried to wake the sleeping girl up. He had lost count on how many nights he had had force her out of her sleep and wake her. Grace startled awake and flew up in a sitting position. "Are you alright, Grace?" James asked softly and soothingly rubbed Grace's arm. She flinched back and turned to stare at him. "Bad dream?" James asked, even though he knew the answer. Grace nodded weakly. "Wanna talk about it?" He continued.

Grace shook her head and James left it at that and offered her an arm to sleep on for the rest of the night. Carlos was sleeping soundly and James held Grace's hand in his and she grabbed a hold of Carlos' with her other.

"Don't worry, we're right here." James assured her and smiled at the young girl, who nodded and laid back down only to fall back into a sleep filled with nightmares.

Grace woke up again, just as out of breath and scared as the time before but James was sleeping and no one was awake to comfort her. She sniffled and scooted closer to the sleeping James, she curled up next to him and hugged his arm and hoped that he'd wake up. James and Grace had always been close and they always took care of each others. James and Grace almost considered each other as brother and sister.

The girl didn't want to fall back asleep. She didn't want to dream the same dream and laid sleepless for the rest of the night. When Kendall came to change with James she pretended to be asleep, not to worry her friends but she didn't know that they did notice and they did worry.

When the sun rose and shone in through the bedroom window Grace got out of bed and went down into the kitchen. James was up and sat in the kitchen with a comic book. He looked up and smiled when Grace came into the kitchen.

"Hey." He said. "Did you sleep well?" he asked and Grace shook her head. James was a little disappointed over the fact that she wouldn't speak about it. Even if James wasn't the sharpest knife in the box he knew that many problems could get better and maybe even be solved if you talked about it.

Grace took a seat next to James and he gently tried to convince her to tell him about her bad dream but she wouldn't even answer. Grace herself barely knew why she was being so silent. In a way she was frightened to break and when Kendall came into the room her hands shot up over her ears, like she was expecting him to start screaming. "Grace, you look really tired. Maybe you should try and go back to sleep?" James suggested and gained the blond's attention.

"What's wrong?" he asked softly and James turned to look at him.

"She's not talking." He sighed. "She had a bad dream." he continued and Kendall hesitated before he walked over to the girl and crouched in front of her and tried to catch her eyes. When she avoided to look back at him he frowned.

"Grace..." He said softly. "How are you?" he asked. He kept looking at the girl but she wouldn't have it. "Gracie..." He tried, using her old nickname. "What's wrong?" He tried again and Grace turned away from him and pulled her shoulders up and curled up in her seat.

She frowned and gulped. In her head she could still hear Kendall screaming. "She won't tell me anything. She simply isn't talking." James said. "She didn't sleep either."

"I noticed..." Kendall mumbled, "Grace, you have to tell us what is wrong so that we can help you." He said softly and turned back to Grace. She looked tired and it was clear that she was forcing herself to stay awake. "Grace." Kendall said a little more sternly. "You're almost fainting, you need to sleep." He said and furrowed his eyebrows.

Grace closed her eyes and covered her face with her hands, trying her best to ignore the screams in her head and her friends' worried looks. She didn't want to go back to sleep and she didn't want to talk about the dreams. She just wanted everything to go back to normal.

James and Kendall helped her back upstairs to the bedroom. Carlos was just getting out of bed and was on his way down. "James, could you stay with her?" Kendall asked when the girl was finally lying down. James nodded and sat with his back leaned against the headboard, wrapping an arm around Grace.

Kendall gave her a worried glance before he decided that he too needed to be alone and left the room silently and without a word. Grace tried her best not to fall back asleep but it was an impossible task and eventually she falls asleep and fall back into the same horrible dream again and again and again.

It continued for days and nights. Grace would try to sleep but she'd only end up having the same nightmare before waking up and crying until her eyes hurt. The three boys were getting worried and took turns in not only guarding the house but staying with Grace. They were afraid she'd lose it completely if they weren't there for her.

One day – when Kendall had told James and Carlos to go outside in the sun and try to enjoy themselves for a bit – Grace woke up cold sweating and panting. Kendall had just walked into the room to grab a jacket but stopped when he saw his friend sit trembling on the bed.

"Grace..." He sighed and eyed her with a sad look on his face. "Please... you have to tell me what's wrong." he said and sat down next to her and hugged her. The young girl slung her arms around him and hugged him as tight as she could. "Gracie, please..." Kendall pleaded.

Then all of a sudden Grace seemed to go completely limp in his arms. She shot up into and for the first time in almost a week met Kendall's green eyes and held the look. Her eyes were puffy and bloodshot. Kendall wanted nothing more than to have her go back to normal. What if Grace had really gone insane? What would they do then?

Grace smiled weakly and snuggled closer to him, nestling in his embrace and leaning her forehead against his neck. She could feel his pulse, strong and steady under his skin. She gave a slight sigh and closed her eyes. Kendall didn't say anything and just sat there and held her when she slept.

In her dream, Grace went with it until she stood by the two corridors. In her dream she whispered a silent 'I'm sorry' to Logan before hurrying to Kendall's rescue.

Kendall sat still and didn't dare to move from where he sat. Grace slept peacefully for what had to be the first time in weeks and he was relieved that she seemed to have calmed herself enough to get a some rest. It took hours before she woke up and the blond hummed silently to himself and stroked his hand over her hair.

He'd never stopped loving her. She was truly the most amazing girl he had ever met and even though his heart had been broken by her rejection before he didn't want to give up. His head kept telling him to stop but his heart urged him to dive head first into the water. When she woke she laid still for a few minutes and then tilted her head up and looked at Kendall. His cheeks flushed red and he awkwardly looked away, as if he'd been caught doing something he shouldn't.

She hesitated for a moment before sitting up and pressing her lips against his. It was quick and almost experimental. Kendall blushed so hard even his neck turned red and his eyes teared up when she pulled away. Grace eyes him for a few moments before her face broke into a big smile and she started to giggle.

Kendall glared at her when she got out of bed. "W-What was that?" he demanded but she just shrugged and smiled happily.

"I'm hungry."


	11. Comfort

Kendall sat like paralyzed on the bed for a while before realization hit him like a wave. _She kissed me,_ he thought and shot up from the bed and hurried after the girl who skipped down the stairs towards the kitchen.

"Hello~" She almost sang when she entered the kitchen and gave James a sisterly kiss on the cheek and ruffled Carlos' hair. Kendall walked into the kitchen, looking flushed and timid and the other boys gave him questioning looks to which he only answered with a shrug. He didn't know what had gotten into the girl either.

Grace started cooking food and disappeared down the hall for a moment before coming back and resuming her cooking. It didn't take long until the air smelled of food and the three boys longingly sniffed the air.

"It smells delicious..." Carlos hummed and licked his lips. James and Kendall couldn't do anything but agree and when the food was ready Grace served the boys by the kitchen table.

"The food is ready." She announced, even though the boys never left the kitchen and instead watched in a very passive and cautious awe as Grace had sung and smiled as she cooked dinner. She gave them an encouraging look and they hesitantly tasted the food before gaining their confidence and eating hungrily.

Grace gave a light sigh and James smiled at her. "This is the best food we've had in a long time." He said.

"You think?" Grace asked. "I haven't cooked like this in a while." She said. "You guys usually takes care of those things. Especially now that I've been... absent." She mumbled and ate a spoonful of stew.

Carlos and James ate until they were both on the edge of throwing up and Kendall sat silently and poked most of his food around on the plate. He wasn't that hungry and still a bit split after what had happened earlier. He couldn't even meet Grace's eyes when she looked at him and when she finally did catch his eyes he blushed once again and looked away.

The four friends argued for a while that Grace shouldn't have to do the dishes since she cooked the food but she was very persistent and said that she would take care of it. She ushered the boys out of the kitchen and washed up the plates.

Kendall, James and Carlos settled in the living room and talked with low voices. James and Carlos decided to interrogate the blond on what had happened and Carlos stared at Kendall with wide eyes. "What did you do to her?" he asked in a whisper.

The blond blushed and looked both embarrassed and confused. "I didn't do anything!" He whispered back. "She cried and thrashed in her sleep and woke up when I got there. I just sat there and she fell back asleep and woke up like... that." He said and pointed into the general direction of the kitchen. He didn't mention the part about the kiss even if he wanted to. He was still confused and he tried to tell himself that it was all in his head.

"That's weird." James mumbled and Kendall just nodded and smothered his hands over his face.

Grace had definitely kissed him and there wasn't anything in the world that could have been able to make him forget it. Her lips had been soft and even though it had been nothing but a quick peck he had felt sparks fly and tickle the inside of his chest, waking the dozing butterflies in his stomach up.

When Grace entered the room he quickly tried to regain his usual expression but his heart was pounding so harshly in his chest that he could barely see straight. "Hey." She said and plopped down in the couch next to him. The blond sank his teeth into his bottom lip and leaned away, frightened that she'd hear his heart race.

Grace forced back a chuckle. Kendall was so shy and she wondered how in the world he had managed to gather enough courage to confess his feelings to her. She shifted a bit and smiled at the boys. "I'm stuffed." She said and put her hand over her stomach and the boys hurried to praise her cooking once more. The young girl smiled and then leaned back in her seat and felt fatigue creep up on her. "Does anyone know what time it is?" She asked, not that it mattered.

"About seven." James replied after looking at his watch, that was still working.

Grace shifted again and tried to get comfortable. The four friends sat in silence. A comfortable and trusting silence. James hummed on a slower version of 'Superstar' and Carlos sat with his eyes closed, peacefully nodding his head along to James' hums. The young girl wobbled where she sat and leaned against Kendall a bit. The blond tensed up and his breathing hitched in his throat. Grace stopped a giggle and looked over at him. He gave her an awkward smile.

"I'm a bit tired." She said and yawned.

James scoffed and looked over at her. "I wonder why..." he sighed. "You haven't slept properly for weeks." he said and Grace rolled her eyes and got up.

"I'm going to bed." She said. "Wake me up when it's my watch, alright?" She mumbled but when the boys exchanged unsure and troubled looks she sighed and frowned. "Guys, come on. I can do it." She said. "Promise to wake me up." She pleaded and the guys nodded.

She left the room to go back up to the bed and Kendall hesitated before jumping up from his seat and hurrying after her, catching up with her up in the bedroom. "Grace, can we talk?" he asked and Grace smiled tiredly at him and nodded.

"Sure, Kendall. What's on your mind?" She asked and the urge to say _you_ popped up in Kendall's head. He shook it off and glanced over his shoulder to make sure that the others weren't listening.

"Um..." He mumbled. "About before..." He said silently and Grace looked up at him as she took her sweatshirt off and straightened her t-shirt. "About the kiss..." He continued. "D-Did you... I mean-... you just-.. ehm..." He stuttered and Grace crawled into the bed and looked up at him.

"Will you sleep with me?" She asked softly.

Kendall's eyes widened and he grabbed a hold of the door to brace himself and not fall over. "What?" he gasped and Grace sighed and slapped her hand over her forehead.

"No, no. Not like that... Ugh... I'm really tired." She whined and shook her head. She was dizzy and her lack of sleep was really showing. "I meant if you'd like to sleep here with me." She said and patted the bed next to her. "Just sleep." She added and Kendall once again glanced over his shoulder before climbing into bed and lying down. Grace lay down next to him before taking a gentle hold of his hand and gave it a slight squeeze. "What was it you were saying?" She asked and Kendall started to stutter again.

"Well... I'm not so sure of what you meant before... and... um... I thought you..." He stuttered before turning his head and looked at the girl. "You've got me so confused, Gracie..." He whispered. "I love you and I thought you didn't feel the same... then you come around and kiss me."

Grace nodded her head and eyed him for a bit. Then she gave a long sigh and snuggled closer to his side. "I need you, Kendall..." She mumbled. "I'm scared I might go crazy if I don't have anyone." She continued. "All that's happened, it's so much for me and I can't take it much longer. I need comfort and I know you can give it to me." She whined and pressed her nose against Kendall's arm. "I've always liked you, Kendall and you're not the only one who is confused."

Kendall hesitated before wrapping an arm around the girl and hugging her closer. "I guess... there's no use in pondering our confusion..." He said. "We should both sleep and... see where we end up." He said.

"I'd like that." Grace murmured. "G-Good night, Kendall..." She said and hugged him.

"Good night, Grace."

* * *

><p><strong>Updating again :)<strong>


	12. Findings

Grace was in a surprisingly good mood the following days and Kendall was walking on clouds. Carlos and James simply had to get used to the sudden uplift in spirit but they weren't complaining. Kendall and Grace's new relation didn't go unnoticed and the blond would try his hardest to be at his best and listened to everything Grace had told him and relaxed a little and found his way back to his old self. Everyone liked that.

About a week after the sudden mood swing everyone had grown tired of the house and football and soccer in the yard wasn't enough to keep them entertained so they decided to head out, blaming it on the lack of vegetables. Grace was the one who was the most excited over the new adventure but Kendall was extremely hesitant.

He'd been very protective the past few days and he always told Grace that he was being protective because he didn't want to lose her. Grace liked that she had someone to protect her but she was sure she'd lose her mind if she didn't get out. "I don't think it's such a good idea, Grace." Kendall said.

"Please, Kendall. Please." She begged him and he looked very thoughtful. "Please..." Grace pleaded and gave him the best puppy dog look she could. "Kendall..." She said and pouted her lips.

Kendall sighed and gulped a bit. He was just no match for the girl's pleas and sweet tone. "Fine." he gave in and Grace rewarded him with a kiss on the cheek. "But only if you promise to be careful." He added and pulled away, trying not to be too distracted by the sweet lips and gently kiss. Grace only smiled and kissed his lips.

"I promise." She said sweetly and the blond's self control seem to go flying and he kisses her. Behind them, James clears his throat and taps his foot against the wooden floor.

"If you two are done with that, I'm ready to head out." he said. "But if the two of you need a minute..." He said and trailed off topic. Kendall pulled away from the girl and avoid looking at his tall friend. He attempted to conceal his blush and cleared his throat.

"N-No. Let's go."" he said and walked out, past James who grinned down at both Grace and him.

Kendall, James and Grace all headed out and Carlos stayed at the house with a stomach ache. They went east along the outskirts of the city. They rarely ever went into the city since they figured it would be more difficult to get out if needed and that there would be more walkers. There was a small grocery store a few blocks into the city – that was strangely left alone by other survivors – and the group of three goes there.

There wasn't much in there to begin with but they had already been there several times and there wasn't much left. They found a bags of dried food and to James' delight, a row full of exclusive and untouched hair products. It's the same brand he used to use before and his face is filled with nostalgia when he holds one of the spray cans in his hand. He grabbed a few and made a mental note to come back and refill if he'd ever need to.

Grace found some batteries and light bulbs behind the counter and Kendall grabbed a few bags of chips that still seemed edible and found a couple of cans of soup under a shelf and he stuffs it into his back pack before glancing around and making sure that they were still alone and that everyone was alright. His eyes lingered on Grace when she flipped through an old magazine.

They leave the shop and continue down the street. The weather was warm and the sun was shining. Spring was slowly but steadily turning into summer and no one complained. As they walked past the closest hospital everyone but Grace ignored the building and Kendall came into an abrupt stop when he noticed that she was falling behind. "Grace?" he called.

The girl stared at the south wall of the hospital. It had collapsed and exposed a three of the lower floors to the weather and wind. Grace tilted her head and looked at the bright white walls and gave a shaky breath. She had definitely seen those walls before. In a dream. In _the_ dream.

"Are you alright?" Kendall asked her and placed a hand on her shoulder. Grace couldn't seem to tear her eyes off of the hospital.

"I-... I think I need to go in there." She said and only glancd at the blond before turning back to the hospital.

James shook his head and his bangs flopped back and forth over his forehead. "Nope! No way, grace. I'm _not_ going in there." he said and Kendall seemed to agree with him. He gave the girl a puzzled look and squeezed her shoulder.

"Why would you want to go in there?" he asked.

"I just... have this feeling." Grace mumbled and Kendall grew even more worried. "I need to go in there." grace then stated and Kendall frowned. He sighed before turning to James.

"Can you stay out here while I go with her?" he asked.

Grace turned to him and shook her head. "N-No... I want to go alone." She said and Kendall gave a dry laugh.

"You're not going by yourself." He said and grabbed her arm and looked her in the eyes. "It's dangerous. I don't want you to go in there alone." he said and prayed that she'd change her mind but she seemed pretty determined to go into the hospital.

She pouted and turned back to the large hole in the wall. "Kendall... I have to go in there. Alone." She said. "I can do it and I'll be careful, I promise." She said but the blond wasn't convinced. "Please, I'll only be a moment. I'll come straight back out."

Kendall gulped and glanced at James before pulling her a little closer. "What if anything happens?" he asked timidly. "I don't want you to go alone..." He said but Grace pushed him away and smiled up at him.

"Kendall. I'll be fine. You know what? Give me one of the radios and we'll keep in touch. I'll call you if anything happens and I try to get out and you come and get me, okay?" She said and Kendall seemed a little hesitant. He really didn't want her to go in alone. He'd rather go with her but in the end he handed her one of the two radios in his back pack and gave her a stern look.

"You've got fifteen minutes." he said. "If anything happens, call right away and if you can come back out." he said and grace nodded. "Grace." he continued when she turned to leave. "I love you." he said and kissed her forehead.

Grace smiled at him before pulling away and heading towards the hospital. Behind her James freaked out. "Dude! You're not letting her in there _alone_ are you?!" He yelled but no one answered him.

"Grace." Kendall called just as she was climbing over a pile of rubble to get into the hospital. "Fifteen minutes." he told her. Grace nodded and gave him a comforting smile before climbing into the hospital.

Kendall sighed and sank down on a near by park bench and smothered his hands over his face. He was regretting his decision already.


	13. The Doctor

Grace walked to the end of the corridor and glanced back at the opening in the wall. She takes a few deep breaths before continuing down to the right and following the wide hall. The further in she gets the darker it was and she almost regretted going in alone.

A noise startled her and she gripped the small pipe she held in her hands tighter and looked around. She peeked around every corner she turned to make sure that the coast was clear and constantly looked for the source of the noise. A bit further in the ceiling had collapsed and a wall on the upper floor had broken down and let in some light.

Grace took a left and then follow the corridor until she came to a big door that lead her to the reception desk. It was empty and papers laid scattered across the floor along with debris and junk. It's brighter in there because of the giant windows and the skylights so the young girl feels a little more at easy.

There was another noise coming from the corridor to the left and Grace hurried to hide and snuck over to see what it was but found nothing. She decided to follow the corridor and eventually it got so dark that she had to use her flashlight. She walked slowly and tried her best not to make any noise. Then she suddenly tripped over something and her hand shot out and grabbed a table to steady herself, a loud crash from when a vase falls from the table and shatters on the floor echoed through the corridors and Grace held her breath.

A husky groaning and slow steps approached and she swirled around and shone her flashlight at the walker coming down the corridor. Feeling confident, she took it down by smashing its head with her weapon but she noticed that more walkers were attracted by the noise and she retreated quickly. The walkers weren't very quick but the dark made it awfully difficult for Grace to run and she looked around for a place to hide or get out through.

She tripped over an IV stand and fell. Pain jolted up her leg when she landed on her knee but she quickly got up and hurried on, even though she was limping. She tripped again, this time over something she couldn't see and she lets out a shriek when something sharp dug its way into her shin and prevented her from getting back up.

Grace gulped. She knew that even if she managed to call Kendall and James they would never reach her in time and she wouldn't be able to defend herself. She gulped again and covered her face with her hands and braced herself for what was coming.

Then suddenly something – or rather someone – jumped up behind her and leaped over her, dashing towards the walkers. They took out the first walker swiftly with a stab in the head. The walker tumbled to the floor and grace can't do anything but stare. The walkers didn't seem bothered by the stranger and it was almost as if they didn't notice them at all. The stranger didn't hesitate to use that to their advantage and killed the rest of the walkers with ease.

When the final monster fell dead to the floor and Grace's timely rescuer wiped their weapon on one of the walkers' shirt Grace sucked in a breath and turned her attention to her own wound. It appeared to be a part of the construction metal that you'd find inside the concrete walls.

The young girl winced and looked back up at the stranger who had turned to her. It was clearly a male, now that grace looked and he wore a military gas mask over his face. Grace gulped and wondered if the air was radiated or infected. The stranger looked at her before crouching by her side and taking a closer look on her wound. He offered her a hand and she took it and got help back up on her feet.

"Take it easy." The stranger said. His voice was muffled and misrepresented by the mask. "Come with me." he said and grace struggled to follow. He offered her a shoulder to lean on. The rescuer helped her up a flight of stairs and into one of the rooms.

The room was clean and the air was fresh and an open window let in a slight breeze. There was three beds in the room and Grace sat down on the closest one. While the stranger fiddled with medical supplies Grace looked around and noticed a pile of medical books and journals neatly stacked in a bookshelf. On the shelf there is also a number of canned food and bottles of water but it's the familiar looking sweatshirt above was that caught Grace's attention. A black shirt with a silvery circle on the chest pocket.

She turns around just as her rescuer takes his gas mask off. "Logan?!" Grace shouted and the raven haired boy smiled timidly.

"Hey, Grace." He mumbled.

"L-Logan! You're alive!" Grace said and almost started crying. Logan smiled a little and shifted where he stood.

"Yeah..." he said silently. Grace wanted to get up but her leg hurt and she was afraid of falling again. Logan walked up to her, like he had read her mind and placed a hand on her arm. "You shouldn't put any weight on that for a while." he said and nodded down at her leg. "I need to get that thing out, please hold still." He said stiffly and turned away.

It was as if he was talking to a stranger and Logan was very aware of that. He preferred it that way. Seeing Grace again was tough and he kept his walls up. He picked out a bottle and some tools along with a roll of clean bandages and turned back to the girl who was staring at him with wide eyes.

"Logan, I-..." She started but Logan hurried to interrupt her, not wanting to hear what she had to say.

"Please." he said. "Let me just work in peace." He almost begged her. "I'll answer your questions later." he told her and Grace seemed to freeze and a wave of hurt washed over her. "Now, I have to pull this out. Please hold still." Logan mumbled and the girl nodded.

The raven haired boy was quick and efficient at what he was doing. "L-Logan..." Grace mumbled when Logan was cleaning the wound up.

"Yes, Grace?" he asked without looking up.

"W-Why?" Grace asked. "Why are you here?" She asked.

"I need somewhere to stay, don't I?" he asked. His voice was plain and cold. He turned his back against the girl and occupied himself with his tools.

Grace hesitated. "Why won't you come home?" She asked and let out a sob. Logan gulped before he turned to face her. Grace could see that he looked a lot better than he did when he left. He was still a bit pale but not in a sick way.

"I can't." Logan said. "I can't risk hurting you again." he said and desperately tried to keep his voice steady and calm.

"But why? And why were you wearing a gas mask?" Grace asked. "Is the air poisoned?"

Logan shook his head. "I can't go back, Grace. I'm sorry." He said sternly and turned his back against her again. "And I'm wearing the gas mask because I'm still not sure what's wrong with me. I've read a few books and I think breathing filthy air is making me worse. I think it might be causing me blackouts." he explained. "Like when I hurt you before... and because of that I can't come home until I know how to deal with it."

Grace was confused and shook her head. "F-Filthy air?" She asked and the raven haired boy let out a long and pained sigh.

"Blood." he deadpanned. "I think blood is what makes me lose control." he said. "Like when we were... in the kitchen... I-... I could hear the blood in your veins..." He said and sounded sad and almost scared. "And the other time... Carlos cut himself on something and there it was again... The smell of blood..."

"T-The walkers... w-why didn't they..."

"Attack me?" Logan finished Grace's sentence and she nodded her head. "I don't know. They don't seem to notice me. Maybe it's part of this whole... thing? Maybe I'm so much like them that they see me as one of them?"

"Logan, please. I want you to come home." Grace whined and sobbed.

Logan frowned and looked at the girl who was crying for his sake. He shook his head. "I can't. I don't want to hurt you."

"But-"

"No, Grace." Logan snapped. "I can't go back!" He yelled and the girl flinched back and Logan felt horrible inside. "I'm sorry... but I just can't go back." He said and turned away. Grace nodded and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "You can't persuade me this time. You're better off without me." he sighed and handed Grace her radio. "Call the others and have them coem and get you." He demanded softly.

Grace looked away from his but grabbed the radio and pressed the blue button down, making the slight buzzing stop. "Kendall?" She mumbled silently and he answered immediately.

_"__Yes? Are you in trouble?"_ The blond asked worriedly.

"N-Not really... but I need you to come in here and get me." Grace said and looked over at Logan who wasn't looking at her.

_"__Where are you?"_ Kendall asked and the young girl told him how to get to her and then put the radio away. It takes Kendall and James about four minutes to get to where Grace are and all the way there Kendall could only imagine the worst. When he comes into the room he was so blinded by his worry that he didn't even notice Logan in the corner of the room. "Oh my God." Kendall sighed when he saw Grace sitting on one of the beds. "Are you hurt?" he asked and crouched in front of her before pulling her into a tight hug.

"Y-Yeah..." Grace mumbled and Kendall scanned her for injuries and frowned seeing her leg. "I can't really walk on it." She said timidly. Kendall kissed her softly and she sniffled a bit.

James came into the room and panted slightly. "Is she alright- Oh my gosh!" he exclaimed when he saw Logan. "Logan!" James gasped and Kendall looked up and finally seemed to notice his friend. His eyes widened and Logan waved awkwardly.

"L-Logan?" Kendall whispered, like he had a hard time believing his eyes.

"Hey." Logan said and James glared at him.

"Hey?" he asked. "HEY?! Is that all you've got to say?" he asked and walked up to the raven haired boy and hugged him. Kendall was too overwhelmed to move and blinked his eyes a few times and loosened his grip on Grace before turning his attention back to her and her wound.

"I told you to be careful." he said.

Grace blushed in shame and nodded. "I'm sorry..." She said and looked up at Logan. "T-Thank you for helping me out... I don't know what I would have done without you."

"Thank you, Logan." Kendall blurted out and looked up at Logan. "Thank you, for saving Grace." He said and got up and hugged his best friend. His voice was shaky and Logan patted his back. "I can't believe that you're alive..." Kendall said and eyed Logan. "And it looks like you're pretty set up here." He added and looked around.

"I've always wanted to be a doctor." Logan said with a shrug and Kendall smiled at him.

James checked on Grace and Kendall takes the moment to tell Logan, "If you still want to come back, you're welcome." he said it in a whisper but Logan shakes his head.

"I can't. I'm still not sure of what's wrong with me and I don't want to hurt anyone again." He whispered back and Kendall only nodded. "It's getting dark outside." Logan continued, a little louder. "You should head back before it's too late."

James nodded and turned back and Kendall gave a weak smile. "It's alright, Grace. I'll carry you." He said softly and went over to the girl and hoisted her up on his back. James took care of the backpacks. Before they left Logan leaned cloer to the girl and smiled at her.

"It's better like this." He whispered so silently that only she could hear it. "Kendall can take care of you. I'm not angry..." he said and it was the truth. Logan wasn't angry, only heartbroken but he knew that Grace were better off and that this was how Kendall must have felt when he had kissed Grace in front of him, not only one but several times.

"Are you ever coming back?" Grace asked with her eyes filled with tears.

"I don't know." Was all Logan could say.


	14. Baby Blue

Getting back to the house wasn't too difficult even though one of them couldn't walk. Kendall walked with Grace on his back and his head up in the blue. They'd actually found Logan. Logan was alive and seemingly well off. Grace timidly patted his shoulder and the blond turned his attention to her. "I'm not too heavy, am I?" She asked worriedly and Kendall chuckled silently.

"Of course not. I'd carry you a thousand miles rather than lose you." He cooed and Grace's cheeks flushed red. His words did make her feel a little better and also very special and they continued on until they reached the house.

"Oh my God! What happened to you?" Carlos exclaimed when he opened the gate for his friends. They all went inside and Kendall explained the situation for the latino. "Wait, Logan's alive?" Carlos asked, sounding awed.

"Yes, he's alive." Kendall said and gently put Grace down on the couch in the living room.

Carlos smiled and looked excited. "Then why isn't he here?" he asked and Grace sighed and shook her head.

"Because he thinks that he'll hurt me again." She mumbled and the room fell silent for a long time. Grace was the one who broke it. "Can someone help me upstairs?" She asked and James offered to help her up to the bedroom. He tucked her in and smiled softly at her.

"We'll be right downstairs, try to rest." he told her.

Grace laid sleepless and stared up at the ceiling. She felt split and confused. Lately her heart had been directing her towards the blond leader and there was no use in denying that she loved him and that she wanted to be with him but when she saw Logan again her heart broke. For months and months had she tried to tell herself that Logan was dead and that he would never come back but now that wasn't the case anymore. Logan was very much alive.

Her thoughts silenced down when she heard steps coming up the stairs. It was Carlos. "Hey..." Grace whispered silently when he crawled into the bed. The young girls carefully turned to her side and Carlos gave her a small smile.

"I thought you were sleeping." He whispered back and Grace shook her head.

"No, I'm just... thinking." She mumbled.

"About Logan?"

The question wasn't that much of a surprise. Grace knew Carlos would ask it but it still made her come to a stop and hesitate. "Yes." She then replied after a while. "About Logan... and Kendall." She continued and Carlos only nodded. She smiled weakly before turning around in bed and trying to go to sleep. Carlos leaves her to it.

Kendall practically forced Grace to stay in bed until her leg healed up. He was angry with her for being reckless but mostly he was angry with himself for letting her go into the hospital alone and for giving her the chance to be reckless. She tried telling him that it wasn't his fault but try to convince Kendall Knight anything when he's upset.

Eventually Grace turned to the other boys for help. One day she pleaded Carlos to help her and cheer Kendall up as well as help her down the stairs. By that time she could already walk again but if Kendall saw her up and about without company he'd go through the roof. Kendall sat in his usual spot out on the balcony. It was a sunny day and the weather was warm. James was downstairs, combing his hair in front of the big mirror in the living room, happy to have some sort of control over it again – thanks to that shampoo.

Grace asked Carlos to go and make her something to eat and he left her right by the balcony. She carefully walked out on the stone balcony, supporting most of her weight against the door frame. Kendall briefly turned his head but shot up from his seat when he saw the girl. "What are you doing up?" he asked her when she grabbed a hold of the garden chair for support.

"I hate being alone and I needed to get out of that room." Grace sighed and Kendall pulled her with her when he sat back down, seating her in his lap. The young girl gave a sigh and leaned against him.

"How are you feeling?" he asked softly. Grace shrugged her shoulders.

"A lot better." She said and turned in his lap to look down at him. "How are _you_ feeling?" She asked and Kendall smiled at her.

He ran his hand over her arm and nodded. "I feel better now that I know that you do." He said. His smile turned into a worried frown and he brought his hands to her face and cupped her cheeks. He pulled her down slightly and kissed her. "I'm sorry, Gracie." He murmured and the girl gave a sigh before straddling his legs.

"Shut up about that." She cooed and kissed him again. Kendall smiled a bit and wrapped his arms around the girl and hugged her. Grace pulled away and leaned her head on his and he drew tiny circles on her back with his long fingers. "I should go downstairs." She said. "Carlos was supposed to make me something to eat."

Kendall nodded and offered to help her down the stairs. Grace accepted the help. "Is that better?" Kendall asked once they were down in the kitchen and Grace was seated in one of the chairs. She nodded and Kendall kissed her forehead and sat down on the other side of the table.

Carlos held back a grin and put out some food for Grace to eat. He eyed the couple before sitting down himself. They were sweet and caring towards each other and truly paired up well. Grace didn't mind Kendall's rough edges and she was one of the few in the world that could stand his stubbornness and anger issues. Kendall on the other hand, tried his best to be a better guy and seemed to adapt to Grace's sensitivity and grow more gentle and thoughtful.

The latino smiled to himself and sat down by the table and joined in on the conversation. Soon James too joined but before he had a chance to sit down a loud scream broke the usual silence.

_"Help! Please, open up!"_ A voice shrieked and both Kendall and James jumped up and raced towards the door.

"Carlos, stay with Grace." Kendall ordered and grabbed his baseball bat that leaned against the wall by the fridge. James had already gotten his hands on his ax, that was never far away.

"Help me up to the balcony!" Grace said and Carlos grabbed her under the arm and dragged her up the stairs and out on the balcony. Just outside the large iron gate stood a small girl and desperately gripped the iron bars, pulling and yanking at them for all she was worth. She was unarmed and cried out for help when three big walkers made their way towards her. "Oh my God, Kendall! The gate!" Grace shouted and he signaled for James to open up the gate and grabbed the little girl by the arm and pulled her into safety.

Grace hurried down the stairs and Carlos followed suit. Kendall lead the crying child into the house and James took down the walkers before closing the gate and locking it up again. Luckily there wasn't anymore walkers than the three after the girl. Kendall asked the girl to have a seat in the couch in the living room and Grace sat next to her but kept a small distance between herself and the girl.

"H-How are you?" She asked softly. "Are you hurt?"

The little girl sniffled and looked up at Grace, her eyes widened and her lips pouted. "You're a girl!" She cried, like she had a hard time believing that. Race sent a confused look James' way and the girl launched forward and slung her arms around Grace's middle and cried into her chest. Grace didn't know what to do but to console her.

"Shh... I-it's alright." She said. "You're safe now." The three boys looked equally as confused as Grace. "Don't worry, those walkers are gone. You're safe." Grace cooed. The small girl sniffled again and wiped her big brown eyes with the back of her hand.

"I-I'm sorry..." She mumbled. "I-... I just haven't seen another girl for a long time."

Grace smiled softly at her. "It's alright." She cooed. "How old are you, sweetie?" She asked, suddenly feeling very protective and letting her motherly feelings towards the crying girl take over.

"I'm thirteen." She said and looked over at the boys. She frowned and curled up a bit. Grace smiled at her again.

"O-Okay... um... My name is Grace. I'm seventeen." She said and the girl's attention was turned back to her. "And this is Kendall, James and Carlos." She said and pointed to each boy as she said their name. "They're seventeen, eighteen and nineteen."

The girl nodded hesitantly. "M-My name's Baby Blue." She said before blushing. "Or... well... my friends call me that. My real name's Blair." She explained shyly and Grace patted her back.

"It's alright, uh... Blue. Can I call you that?" She asked and the small girl nodded. "Where are you from?" Grace asked and the girl looked worried and hesitant. She glanced over at the boys once more before turning back to Grace.

"I'm from the other side of the city." She said silently, so silently that Grace almost didn't hear her.

Grace furrowed her eyebrows a bit. "The other side of the city? Did... Did you get all the way here by yourself?" She asked and Blue nodded her head, making her dark hair wave around. "Why did you come here?" Grace continued to ask. Kendall leaned a little closer, to hear what she had to say and Blue curled up and leaned away. She gave a tiny whimper and Kendall backed off again. Kendall figured he was scaring the poor girl.

"I-I ran away." Blue whispered into Grace's ear.

"From the walkers?"

"N-No... or... well, only just now." Blue whispered shyly. "I saw the light in the window and... um... yeah." She said and blushed. "I ran away from the ones I was living with..." She said and Grace slowly nodded hear head. "They-... they were mean to me and did stuff... bad stuff." Blue mumbled and gulped. "Both to me and my friend... t-they would... m-make me..."

Grace stopped her by pulling her into a hug. "Hush, it's okay." She said. Grace didn't need her to continue. The signs were all clear to her. The poor girl ran away from her home because they did bad things to her, she was frightened of the boys... it wasn't hard to put it together. "It's alright, sweetie. You're safe here."

"Can I stay here?" Baby Blue asked and frowned.

"Of course you can." Grace said softly. The small girl smiled briefly but her emotions get the better of her and the smile turned into an insecure frown pretty quickly. "Hey." Grace said softly and rubbed her back. "It's alright... I understand..."

"Y-You do?"

"Yeah, I do." Grace said. "But don't you worry. No one in this house is like that. No one is going to hurt you or do anything bad to you." She promised. "Kendall, James and Carlos are nice boys. They wouldn't hurt a fly." She said. "If it isn't a zombie fly that is..." She added and Blue giggled.

The sound was refreshing and brought a smile to everyone's faces. "Alright, I believe you." Blue said and smiled happily. Baby Blue was offered food and some clothes, that were a little too big for her but she gladly accepted it and ate hungrily.

The boy hadn't fully understood the situation and while Grace let Carlos serve Blue some food she pulled Kendall aside. "Kendall, this girl..." She mumbled and frowned. The blond nodded and grabbed her hand, pulling her into the empty dining room. "She's so young and she's been through hell." Grace said. "A worse hell than we have been through." She went on briefly explaining the situation for Kendall who frowned. "Give her some space, Kendall... she's scared of you and the others."

"I promise." Kendall said and the two headed back into the kitchen. "I'll go and make sure those walkers were the only ones around." Kendall mumbled and gave Grace a brief kiss.

"Be careful." Grace said and Kendall smiled at her and nodded before leaving together with James. Carlos left the kitchen.

"I-Is he your boyfriend?" Baby Blue asked and Grace blushed.

"U-Um... I guess you can call him that." She said and smiled a bit. "Yeah, he is." She then confirmed and Baby Blue grinned at her and went ahead to tell Grace all about her favorite pop star, Dak Zevon.


End file.
